An interdisciplinary project sponsored by IBRU: Durham University’s Centre for Borders Research & the UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic Law

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Ice complicates a world view where solid, stable land is positioned opposite liquid, mobile water. Ice melts and freezes; it breaks apart and moves; it has both land-like and water-like social properties; its edges are unclear. Ice is as challenging for international lawyers, boundary practitioners, and political theorists as it is for geoscientists and global environmental policymakers.

The ICE LAW Project investigates the potential for a legal framework that acknowledges the complex geophysical environment in the world’s frozen regions and explores the impact that an ice-sensitive legal system would have on topics ranging from the everyday activities of Arctic residents to the territorial foundations of the modern state.

Between 2016-2019, the Project will be supported by a Leverhulme Trust International Network Grant.